I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga Narrator: Charlie Thurston
Series: Jasper Dent #1
Published by Little Brown on April 3, 2012
Genres: Young Adult
Length: 9 Hours, 32 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Library
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Amazon, Audible, Barnes & Noble
It was a beautiful day. It was a beautiful field.Except for the body.
Jazz is a likable teenager. A charmer, some might say.
But he's also the son of the world's most infamous serial killer, and for Dear Old Dad, "Take Your Son to Work Day" was year-round. Jazz has witnessed crime scenes the way cops wish they could--from the criminals' point of view.
And now, even though Dad has been in jail for years, bodies are piling up in the sleepy town of Lobo's Nod. Again.
In an effort to prove murder doesn't run in the family, Jazz joins the police in the hunt for this new serial killer. But Jazz has a secret--could he be more like his father than anyone knows?
From acclaimed author Barry Lyga comes a riveting thriller about a teenager trying to control his own destiny in the face of overwhelming odds.
I read a few reviews of this book and finally decided to give it a try. YA isn’t something I read a lot of these days. However, the idea of reading a book with the son of a serial killer and the main protagonist held a lot of appeal. I’m so glad I got to meet Jazz, Howie, Connie and G William. This is a story full of great characters and an interesting story.
So, Billy Dent is the most notorious serial killer in this century. He has killed across many states and with several aliases. He had the feds and local police chasing their tails, until he kills a little too close to home and the small town sheriff catches him. Billy is now in prison and Jazz is at home with his grandmother (Billy’s mom, who is got severe dementia). His mom has been “missing” for years and is presumed dead.
Now, there are killings in town and Jazz is a prime suspect. I mean, wouldn’t you look to the kid raised a notorious serial killer to be his protege? Jazz quickly starts pushing his way to talk to the small town sheriff, G William, to help try to catch this killer. He feels that he is the perfect person to catch this guy, because he knows how killers think. On top of that, this killer is copying Billy Dent, so Jazz is very familiar with how these kills should work.
Jazz is a great character. He wants so badly to not turn out like his father. However, he does think like his father, but he really wants to use his intelligence for good. He also has his friends to help keep him level. First there is his best friend, Howie. Howie is a bit of a dork and hemophiliac. Howie and Jazz’s friendship is truly a great thing. Then there is Connie. Connie is Jazz’s African American girl friend. He originally started dating her because he felt she was “safe”. His father never once, took an African American woman, so he wants to be as from his father as possible. He quickly comes to like her more for her personality than just that she was “different”. She is a perfect fit for him.
I Hunt Killers is truly great. There are twists and turns in the plot as we track who the killer is with Jazz and G William. I do feel that there is a need for a bit of suspension of disbelief in the fact that any cop would share all the gory details of a serial killer case with any civilian, much less a seventeen year old son of a serial killer. But, that is to be expected, I think. This is a YA story and let’s face it, cops don’t share nearly as much in real life as we see in books, movies and TV. So, I’m just going with it and loving the story in the process.
Narration
I had not listened to Charlie Thurston prior to this book. I will say I thought he did a really good job. I love his voice for Howie and it fits him perfectly. I also liked Connie’s voice. There is also Grandma. That one he really nails. I think he also adjusts his voice to fit the tension in the scene and the pace of the story. I would highly recommend this book on audio.
Listen to a clip here:
About Barry Lyga
Barry Lyga is a recovering comic book geek. According to Kirkus, he’s also a “YA rebel-author.” Somehow, the two just don’t seem to go together to him.
When he was a kid, everyone told him that comic books were garbage and would rot his brain, but he had the last laugh. Raised on a steady diet of comics, he worked in the comic book industry for ten years, but now writes full-time because, well, wouldn’t you?
The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy & Goth Girl is his first novel. Unsoul’d is his latest. There are a whole bunch in between, featuring everything from the aftermath of child abuse to pre-teens with superpowers to serial killers. He clearly does not know how to stick to one subject.
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I started listening to audiobooks when a new book in a series was coming out and I wanted to get a refresher, but didn’t have time to read all the books (I think it was Anita Blake). I fell in love. I stayed with strictly re-reading books that I’d already read for a long time. I eventually tried an audiobook for something that I hadn’t read first and was hooked there too. Now, I listen to audio for both re-reads and first time. I have some series that I’ve given up reading and only listen. I try to get any many books/audiobooks from the library to help save on my budget. Books on CD and the newer digital downloads from the library really allow me to listen more. I then purchase my favorites (because who can wait in line for your favorite book??) and less mainstream books from Audible or some other online retailer.
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I read this years ago, but have neglected to continue the series. I am glad to see you enjoyed this one as well.
I’ve listened to the second book (review to post next month). I enjoyed it. I still need to try the last book.
You had me at, ” son of a serial killer”. There’s something about murder mysteries that I’ve always liked and serial killers I find interesting as well.
I have an unhealthy interest in serial killers and cult leaders. I just find them very interesting. I really liked Jasper. I hope you get a chance to try this series.
Wow Melanie! You are everywhere 😀
Yeah. Anne asked me to review with her. I’m doing one post a month here.
😀
That does sound interesting to read about the son of a serial killer. He sounds like a great character to read about with how he thinks similar to his father, but wants to use his intelligence for good. I think the same of many cozies that cops wouldn’t tell any civilian that much, but that comes with the genre. Great review!
Yeah, I’m taking the idea that cops are sharing information with a grain of salt and just going with it. I could see where that would be a thing in cozies too.
Like you, I’m not usually a reader of YA, but this one sounds really good. I have always been fascinated with serial killers, I don’t know why.
Me too. I have an unhealthy fascination with serial killers. Cult leaders too. I think it is their ability to manipulate people. Jasper is pretty good at manipulation too.
I don’t read as much YA as I used to but I like it when I find a good one out there. This could be something I will read in the future. It seems like it could be a definite win for YA.
I’m not a big fan of YA, but this one was really great. I just listened to the last book in this trilogy. I will say that the entire series was very intriguing.
Son of a serial killer… and he wants to be good. This does sound intriguing!
So good. Very underrated.